


A Hunter's Oath

by The_Virtual_Warlock



Series: Destiny Alternate Universe [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-01
Updated: 2020-04-01
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23430937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Virtual_Warlock/pseuds/The_Virtual_Warlock
Summary: "A Hunter is someone that actively disobeys rules and authority to earn their long-awaited treasure." -Cayde-6, Hunter Vanguard.As a new Guardian of the Last Safe City on Earth, Lilliana Qu'lene is supposed to follow the rules to ensure humanity's safety and future. As a Hunter, she is entitled to break these rules at will, for better or worse. But as an Awoken, she also has a duty to fulfill; a duty to the Awoken Queen, Mara Sov.Skolas has taken command of the House of Wolves after Virixas was killed in the Battle of the Ceres, and has fled from the Queen's judgement. Mara, in a desperate bid to capture the new Kell and wreck his House, sends Petra Venj to deliver a message to the City: "All Awoken Guardians will be mobilized to bring this beast to justice. No one else intervenes. No exceptions." In response to this, Speaker Hedge issued a new statement to the Guardians, one that forbids any Guardian from assisting any nation that never officially allied itself with the City.Faced with their first missions, Lilliana and her sister, Jess, must find and hunt down Skolas. But are their pursuits noble? Or are they based on the rigid traditions set by the City and the Queen?
Series: Destiny Alternate Universe [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1685533
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

A young mother was walking in the rain, wearing a large blanket as a hooded poncho, and holding hands with her two daughters. All 3 of them had hoodies drawn to conceal their light blue skin, but their bright aquamarine eyes gave them away. Conifer trees towered over them and the moist ground, puddles placed here and there obstructed the straightforward path, forcing her and her two daughters to weave around the trees while in the forest. The youngest, aged 4 years and clad in a small poncho, cried, "Are we there yet?"

The mother gently said, "Not yet, sweetie."

"But you said that an hour ago!" wailed the youngest, "I just want to go home!"

"We are," declared the eldest daughter with a sneer, the worst that any 8-year-old could manage, "Or have you forgotten that Palamon kicked us out?"

"Jess!" cried the mother, "Don't be mean to your sister!"

"Sorry, sis."

The youngest daughter replied, "It's fine."

A few minutes later, they came out of the forest to find their final hope: The Last Safe City on Earth, and a giant white orb floating above it. The mother looked up and gasped, "This is it, ladies. Our new home."

Jess stared at the orb, admiring the large cavity at the bottom, a cavity that revealed the inner workings of the Orb, that Great Machine which hovered over the City like a beacon of hope. She stared with both curiosity and ambition, whereas her sister stared in inspiration. The mother, although tempted to run to the giant wall 10 kilometers away, remained with her daughters, walking to the nearest gate. Before they could even enter, a brawny soldier known as a Titan yelled, "HALT! WHO GOES THERE?"

The mother said, "Kind sir, we are three refugees kicked out of Palamon. We seek asylum within the walls of the Last City."

"Yeah, sure. May I see your visas?"

"What?"

"Your visas, it's what grants you entrance into this glorious City."

The mother looked shocked, "B-but, the mayor never told anyone about 'visas', let alone gave us-!"

The Titan, still standing as dutiful as before, said, "Yeah, I'm going to ask you to turn back."

"WHAT!?"

"Ma'am, if you don't have the paperwork, you aren't allowed entrance."

"But we need shelter! We need a home!"

"GO!" bellowed the Titan, "BEFORE I THROW YOU AWAY MYSELF!"

Then a figure shouted, "Let them in!" from the shadows. The figure didn't look as strong as the Titan, but he wasn't skinny either. He was busy cleaning his fingernails with a combat knife.

All eyes turned to the figure as he cleaned. "What did you say?" asked the Titan.

The figure sheathed his knife and stepped out of the shadows. He too had a hoodie, like the refugees, and an armor plate like the Titan's, albeit as a lighter variant. "I said, 'Let them in,' Leviathan." The figure didn't stutter or break a sweat as he spoke.

Leviathan slowly walked to his partner, "And if these refugees are terrorists in disguise? Do we let them in, Jaren?"

"Come on, pal," said Jaren in a collected tone, "Does this abandoned family look like they would harm a fly?"

"W-w-well...I-I-I," then he tried a different approach, "They could be drug smugglers or human traffickers!"

"And how many refugees do you know of that committed crimes against humanity or the Light?"

Leviathan 'breathed in' and tried to speak, until his Exo brain tried and failed to find any overwhelming evidence to prove his point. He 'huffed', and said, "open the gate."

Jaren coolly smiled, "Sorry, the operators couldn't hear you. What did you say?"

Leviathan turned to the gate and shouted, "OPEN THE GATES!"

There were loud gears turning as the big doors made way for the new civilians. The mother bowed before Jaren and said, "Thank you!"

"No problem, miss," he replied, and then the three ladies disappeared into the City.

* * *

Virixas stood at the helm of his Ketch, the Ungues Lupi, staring at the asteroids, waiting for anything. They're out there, somewhere. His rabid Archon, Skolas walked to the Kell of Wolves and said, "Your Highness, the Awoken Queen's fleet has arrived. I say that we strike them now and leave this belt in ashes!"

Virixas shook his head, "If we engage, we'd risk losing a majority of our house in the ensuing battle. No, rabid Skolas, I will not take that kind of risk, not today at least. Today, I shall intimidate the Awoken!" The Wolf Kell approached the giant glass window overlooking the Ceres asteroid, and the Awoken colony resting on it. He grinned to himself, Sitting this close to a well-lit colony ensures that the Awoken can't harm us without risking even one of their own. We have the upper hand!

The Queen spoke through the comms, "Intruder bearing at coordinates 190.56 X, 49.675 Y, and -0.48 Z away from Ceres: Stand down or die."

Virixas laughed, "Awoken fleet, do you not know who you're talking to? We are the House of Wolves! Stand aside and no harm shall come to you!" Then he barked to his Dregs, "MAN THE SKIFFS! PREPARE TO FIRE ON MY COMMAND!"

The Queen's line remained silent for a while, then a large, white-purple line crackled in the between the Ketch and the Awoken Fleet, tearing a small rip in the continuum of Time and Space. All that Virixas could do was watch in terror as the line grew larger and larger by the second. Then the Queen spoke again, "My mother was of Starlight: bright, beautiful, and radiant, even as the night descended." She paused, then said, "But my father was from the Darkness, and his wisdom guides me today!"

The lights in Ceres were shut down, 8 gigantic orbs formed from the Void were brought forth from the tear, and Virixas ordered everyone to board all the Skiffs and abandon ship immediately. The 8 orbs traveled at alarming speeds, atomizing anything small and insignificant in its path until it reached the Ketch, shattering the window and the consoles, ripping apart the engines and wing, and leaving the chassis inert. Some of the Skiffs were left immobilized due to the void explosions, but everyone inside them remained alive, among them was Skolas. The same could not be said for Virixas or any of the Fallen inside the devastated Ketch.

The Queen's fleet flew close to the Ketch, trying to find survivors. One of the ships' pilots said, "No signs of life, my Queen. We got them."

Distraught, the Queen ordered, "Try the smaller ships, there's bound to be survivors there."

"Will do." The Awoken ships ran the scans again, each of the Skiffs came back positive. "My Queen," said another pilot, "They're alive! All of them!"

"Good work, Petra," announced the Queen, "Now enslave the lot. These Fallen are mine."


	2. Recruit

_25 years later_

Lilliana Qu'lene stood in the Tower, leaning her arms against the railing, waiting for her Guardian exam. I need to pass this exam if I want to be a Guardian. Focus, girl. What are the six Titan Codices? Honor, Valor, Strength, Unity, Duty, and Destiny. The Hunter has how many forms of art? 3 main, but a Hunter could have more or less if he or she so chooses. And why do Warlocks harness the elements? Because they see themselves as conduits between-

"Hey, little sis!"

Lilliana was startled when she heard her sister behind her. She turned around in the blink of an eye; Jessica Qu'lene stood tall behind her, dressed in Warlock robes, the Void starting to curl in her hand before it danced on the railing. Lilli was impressed, "You're a Warlock!?"

"Indeed I am!" Jessica puffed herself up with pride, flexing her arms to show herself off in front of her sister.

"Cool!"

Then a light robotic male voice called out, "Lilliana Qu'lene?"

Lilli turned to the source of the voice, a humanoid robot with a basic metal skeleton and a boxed head with one giant LED. She replied, "Yeah?"

"Your exam is ready, miss." The robotic frame led Lilli down to Tower North, a section that was dedicated to the Warlocks' libraries and research and littered with books, especially with The Speaker's office dominating the left side. Surprisingly enough, New Monarchy was also here, not because they were smart, but because they didn't trust the Warlocks or the power they held.

Lilli was taken to The Speaker's office, where she encountered three wizened Guardians: one was a well-decorated, blue-skinned Titan; another was a chocolate skinned Warlock, robed and hooded in purple; the last was a robotic Hunter, yet he was dressed like and had a build similar to any other human, the only exceptions being his hood and his knife being juggled in his left hand. "Let's begin," said the Warlock, "are you Lilliana Qu'lene?"

When Lilli spoke, duty took command, "I am she."

"Commander Zavala," addressed the Warlock, "proceed with the examination."

The blue Titan stepped forward, "Lilliana, a Titan's duty is to what?"

"The Last City."

"What are the Titan Codices are meant to establish among Guardians?"

"Order and stability."

The Commander nodded, "Name the Codices."

Lilli closed her eyes, recounting the six virtues: "Honor, Valor, Strength, Unity, Duty, and Destiny."

Zavala produced a grin, "Very good, Lilliana." Then he addressed the Warlock, "Ikora Rey?"

Ikora stepped forward, her voice patient, "Lilliana, what would you do to transform lead into gold or silver?"

Lilli stumbled for a minute, "w-w-well...I w-w-would..." she paused, thinking about her chemistry class with Professors Arwin and Finch, " I would find silver or gold nitrite or nitrate, apply it to the lead, then-"

"No!" The Warlock quipped, "That's using chemistry, I want you to use alchemy."

Lilli felt sweat dripping down her face, Alchemy!? I wasn't prepared for this! "Ummmm...I...in theory, one would have to remove 3 protons from the nucleus of each lead atom..."

"And how do you do that in practice?"

Lilli was silent for a long time, then she said, "I don't know; at the moment, it can't be done."

Ikora nodded, "I know. It's a trick question."

Lilliana sighed in relief.

"For now..." warned Ikora. As Lilli felt a bead of sweat trickle down her face, the Warlock Vanguard called for her robotic colleague, "Cayde-6?"

Cayde was still twirling his knife by a hole in the handle, unaware that he was being called.

"CAYDE!" shouted the Titan.

"Huh?" Cayde stopped twirling, "Oh! Right!" He sheathed the knife and said, "So if toss you a hand in a poker match, an' you find a Full House, what would you do?"

Lilli thought for a while, "hmm...I'd say bet 1000 Glimmer."

"Smart. Now how 'bout a Royal Flush?"

"Almost all in."

Cayde eyed her suspiciously, "Almost?"

"Yeah," she replied logically, "in case your opponent has four aces and a joker."

Cayde nodded, "Alright, but if there ain't a joker you'd go all in?"

Lilli nodded.

"Alright then!" At random, Cayde drew his knife and threw it at Lilliana's head within a split second. She widened her eyes before instinctively swerving her head, dodging it. The knife then buried its tip into the floor behind Lilliana, Cayde nodded, "Survival instincts, not fighting instincts."

Zavala nodded, "Indeed. But there is something about her that is...that is..."

"Potent?" asked Ikora, "Contrasting from the other students?"

Cayde butted in, "You could just say 'different'."

"Different, Cayde?" A new figure appeared from the hanging platform on the left side of the Office. He was cloaked and masked in white, but his presence and his voice sounded dark, not dictatorial dark, but a darkness accompanied by law. He gestured to Lilliana as he descended down the staircase, "This girl is no different from the other students."

Zavala rebutted, "Wasn't it your idea to standardize the tests and their education, Speaker Hedge?"

Hedge snapped back, "It doesn't matter! Lilliana Qu'lene is not a Guardian, nor will she ever be!" and he turned back to the stairs and climbed to his desk.

On a whim and out of desperation, Lilli blurted, "The Traveler is dying, Speaker!"

Hedge pivoted on his heels, "Dying? Explain yourself!" His concern became a smug voice.

Lilli paused for a few seconds, then replied, "Its cracks are growing larger by the week, fragments of its shell are disappearing..."

"That usually happens," Ikora responded with no room for emotion or miscalculation, "Without a major chunk of it, The Traveler will slowly decay starting with the shell."

"Leaving behind a musky scent in the air?" Lilliana quizzed them, partly because she didn't know the full answer, and partly because of the strange teleportations.

Ikora whispered into Zavala's and Speaker Hedge's ears, something that Lilli couldn't make out. Cayde walked up to the student, patted her shoulder, and said, "Smart thinking, Lilli. I'd say that calls for a drink! Whadda say?"

Zavala called out, "Not so fast, Cayde! I believe Speaker Hedge owes your student an apology."

Hedge tapped his feet nervously, "Ah, yes...um...well...I was wrong, Lilliana. Please accept my apology and your advancement to the Hunter Squadron of the Guardian Corps."

Lilli grinned, "Thank you, Speaker. I'll be sure to serve the City well."

Cayde jumped for joy, "ALRIGHT! This DEFINITELY calls for a trip to the bar! Drinks are on me! Ya comin'?"

Ikora nodded, but Zavala shook his head, "I'm afraid I can't tonight, something demands my attention in my office."

"Likewise," seconded Hedge, "but you three have fun."

Cayde shrugged, "Ok then, see y'all later!"

* * *

Skolas stood on an asteroid, his facemask was sealed against the vacuum of space. They said that I would meet an agent here! Where the Hellmouth is he!?

"Behind you," croaked a voice. A purple bubble of ether surrounded them both. Skolas turned around to find a shadowy figure cloaked in jet black robes and hood, tiny strands blew from his face, and the only visible things from the face were two glowing, yellow eyes. "The Nine sent us here."

Skolas was stunned, This guy can speak Eliksni?! He fired back in the same language, "The Nine!? I wasn't sent by no numbers!"

"Correct, The Nine are not mere numbers, and you were sent by them."

Skolas huffed, "I didn't come here to be corrected by a grammar freak."

The figure payed no mind to the giant Eliksni's comments, "You are here because you want to liberate your people?"

"Yes..." Skolas gritted his teeth and barked, "But just how are you going to help me!?"

The agent clapped his hands, a sound rang across the Void, almost bursting Skolas's ears. Then the agent slowly opened his hands, revealing a large conical muzzle attached to a chamber in the back. The thing huffed and puffed with the fire of 100 yellow and orange suns, and floated to Skolas. "This is the Scorch Cannon that Virixas wielded. By right, it belongs to you, oh Kell of Kells."

Skolas took the Cannon in his hands and grinned, Now, the false Queen will suffer!


	3. Retribution

Queen Mara Sov stood at the entrance to her throne room in shock and horror. What was once the crown jewel of the Reef Monarchy is now in tatters; bodies were scattered the floor, the symbols of the Royal Family were torn, tapestries were ripped and scorched, even the throne, the centerpiece of the circular room, was broken into pieces of its former glory. Who could've betrayed my trust for this!? She carefully stepped around the corpses of her guards as she walked to her fragmented throne. As she reached the center, one of the dying guards grabbed her ankle. Mara gasped as she looked down at the guard who wheezed her final breath, "Sko...las......Sko...las......"

The Queen's eyes widened further as she ran her fingers across the shards of her throne. Scrawled into the floor were the words, "YOU FAILED TO GIVE US A PROPER HOME. NOW PAY THE CONSEQUENCES!"

Mara's eyes narrowed into angry slits, "I gave them mercy, and this is how they respond? If they want war, I'll exterminate them all!"

Uldren Sov rushed into the throne room panting, "My Queen! The Wolves are headed for Venus!"

Mara turned to brother, rage still burned within her eyes, "Get the Guardians involved!"

"But sister-" Uldren began to protest.

Mara marched away from the center, now careless about what happened to the corpses, "We gave them a home amongst the Awoken, we showed them mercy, and they met that mercy with betrayal!" She lifted one of the corpses to prove her point, then tossing it aside, she said, "They will feel my wrath!" She walked past him and shouted, "OPEN THE REEF TO THE GUARDIANS! I WILL OFFER UP A BOUNTY FOR THESE TRAITORS! AS A REWARD, I WILL GRANT THEM LIMITED ACCESS TO OUR ARMOURY!"

Uldren nodded, "It shall be done, my queen."

* * *

Lilliana sat at the bar with Jess, Cayde, and Ikora. While Jess and Lilli were downing beers and Cayde was drinking whiskey out of a boot, Ikora drank sodas and lemonade. "Seriously, guys? You're going to get so drunk!"

"Not me!" declared Cayde, "I'm not organic!"

"But doesn't whiskey rust in your...your...um..."

"Stomach?" answered the Hunter Vanguard, "I know," and he swiped at Ikora's root beer, grabbed it, and chugged it down. "Ahhhh! That hits the spot!"

Ikora stared at Cayde and asked in desperation, "Could you please stop being so rude?"

"But that's half the fun!"

Jess slammed her glass onto the bar, "So what's the other half? Hmm?"

Lilli grinned, "Being a badass, silly. It's what we Hunters do."

Cayde winked at Lilli and drank another shot.

Immediately, Ikora's Ghost buzzed, "Um, Ikora? You have 3 new- 4 new messages from Commander Zavala."

Ikora turned to her Ghost, "Display it on my hand." She drew her left hand and read quietly,   
_"Ikora, the Reef is under red alert!_  
 _All Awoken have been called to answer the Queen's demand._  
 _I must go to Venus, even though Hedge forbids it._  
 _You're the Head Vanguard, conditionally."_  
She closed her hand and the messages disappeared. "I...I must go," and she quickly walked away, then sprinted when she was outside the bar.

Cayde shrugged, "Well, more drinks for us! Bartender!"

Jess was confused, "But she never drank, so why did you-"

"Because she and Zavala always act like parents around other Guardians. Or have you begun to like your curfews?"

Jess was about to raise a finger when Lilli interrupted with, "Um guys? Is no one paying any attention to the fact that Ikora literally left us here!? All by ourselves!?"

Cayde turned to his protege, "Yes. And?"

"Doesn't it strike you as odd, when you yourself called her parent-like?"

"Not in the slightest."

Lilli turned her whole body to the Hunter Vanguard, looked him dead in the eye, and said, "Any good parent wouldn't abandon their kids unless something urgent arose and they trusted their kids to take care of themselves."

Cayde's eyes looked up and made some arcs left and right while he was busy trying to sort out the logic. At first, he squinted back, but his eyes grew wider, "Oh! Oh, I see!"

Lilli nodded, "So, let's go!" Cayde barely had time to finish his drink when Jess paid the bartender and dragged the Hunter Vanguard away from the bar by his cloak.

* * *

Zavala crouched behind an opened Fallen door made out of scrap. On the other side, Skolas was heard preaching to a rally of Fallen. Enough chitchat, dictator, thought Zavala, time to die! He opened and charged through the door at the Kell of Kells, guns blazing. Skolas fired his Scorch Cannon at the Titan, Zavala rolled to the side, fired his Auto Rifle into the rally, killing a few Dregs. The Vandals fired back, Zavala threw a Pulse Grenade at them before charging at Skolas, Arc Light coursing through his fists as he launched himself at the Kell with a Fist of Havoc. The ground shook violently around the epicenter, Vandals and Dregs crumbled to the ground, even the Captains weren't invulnerable to the might of a Titan's ground pound.

Zavala stood defiant, Problem solved! Mission accomplished! Then he felt a hand tightly grip his waist and raise him high above the ground. "UMPH! LET ME GO!" He turned his head and gasped.

Skolas laughed, "No chance, zombie!" He choked Zavala by the neck with another arm and said, "I am Skolas! I am Kell of Kells!" He beheaded the Titan Vanguard with his bare hands, ripping the spine out of the Titan's body. The Kell raised his new prize and shouted to the survivors in the Eliksni tongue, "THE UNDEAD TRY TO KILL US, AND THE AWOKEN TRY TO ENSLAVE US! OUR WEAKNESS ALMOST BROUGHT US TO EXTINCTION! BUT UNDER ME, THE AWOKEN SHALL BOW AND THE CITY WILL BURN!!!"


	4. Assassins

Lilli, Jess, and Cayde rushed back to the Speaker's office to find Ikora conversing with Speaker Hedge. As they eavesdropped on their conversation, they crouched behind the edges of the doorway. "But Speaker!" cried Ikora, "The Awoken have called for our help! The House of Wolves is assimilating the other Houses into their fold, and if we don't stop them-"

Hedge shot her down, "Ikora! What you are presenting me is nothing more than fiction!" Then he reassured her, "Our City is absolutely safe. The walls have stood for centuries. No one, not even the Fallen has been able to get past them."

Zavala's ghost buzzed into the room and rezzed Zavala on the spot. The Titan Vanguard landed on his two feet and panted, "They're coming! Skolas and his Wolf Pack are coming! We must raise the City's defenses!"

Hedge gave a nervous chuckle, "Nonsense! These Wolves are nothing more than fodder for our guns!"

"But sir!"

"LET THIS BE KNOWN THROUGHOUT THE CITY!" declared the Speaker, "NO GUARDIAN IS TO COLLUDE WITH THE REEF! THE PUNISHMENT FOR DOING SO WILL BE SEVERE!"

Ikora fell silent, Zavala's eyes widened in shock, Cayde gasped, Jess covered her mouth, Lilli did all of the above. Hedge lowered his tone, "Now if you don't mind, I have matters to attend to," and he walked back up the stairs to his desk.

Zavala and Ikora walked out of the office and greeted the three eavesdroppers, "So, what did you think?"

Cayde waited until they were far away from the Speaker's office before he said, "I think he's in cahoots with the Wolves!"

"CAYDE!" yelled Zavala.

"Naw, I'm just teasin' ya."

Lilli spoke up, "I think Speaker Hedge is an idiot. The way he dismissed Zavala's report, he's neglecting a critical issue."

The Hunter Vanguard asked, "Then what do we do?"

"We do nothing," answered the Titan.

"B-b-b-but!"

"Exactly," continued Ikora, "We three will resume our duties," then she turned to Lilli and Jess, "while these two will patrol the system, looking for any anomalies."

Cayde mumbled to himself, "Yeah, but I would like to get out of this Tower for once!"

"Cayde," corrected Zavala, "You of all people should know the duties of a Vanguard."

"Hey, I'm only here because I lost the dare with Andal!"

"And your point is?"

Cayde raised a finger and was about to say something, but quickly put it down and sighed, "Yeah, you're right..."

Jess nodded to Zavala, "We won't let you down, sir."

The Titan Vanguard tossed them a key fob and saluted, "Good luck, recruits."

Jess and Lilli saluted back, then ran to the hanger, looking for the ship matched up with the key fob. Lilli pressed the unlock button, a ship beeped twice, Jess turned her head to the noise, only to find a beaten down ship in need of 10 repairs. Jess was shocked, "This hunk of garbage? I thought we were going to get an actual ship!"

Lilli sighed, "Of course they would give us a ship, Jess."

"Then why hand us this one!? Hmm?"

Lilli paused, trying to think of some reason other than 'because they tricked us'. Then a Titan appeared out of nowhere and said, "Because that's what recruits like you deserve, rust buckets."

Jess gritted her teeth, "Leviathan-3. I should've known. What do you want?"

Leviathan chuckled, "As if I would tell you that, or that you could possibly understand."

"Try me," quipped the Warlock, "I know more than you lazy bum."

Leviathan steamed, "WHY YOU LITTLE-"

"GUYS!" butted Lilliana, "We have a mission to stop Skolas!"

The Exo Titan huffed, "A work of fiction I'd say. You two aren't allowed to go outside of the walls!"

"Leviathan, if you get in our way-"

"What are you going to do?" he taunted, "Punch me and steal my ship?" He laughed, "You'll punch like a girl, I just-OOF!"

Jess sucker-punched Leviathan square in the jaw, knocking him out, and swelling her fist in pain. She shook it off and said, "Thanks for the compliment!"

Lilli stole Leviathan's ship keys from his pocket and swapped them for the broken ship's keys, then unlocked his ship, and drove off to the Cosmodrome. Jess looked over at her sister, "And since when did you know how to fly?"

Lilli laughed, "Since our pal labeled everything on his dash!" She wasn't lying; every lever, button, and switch that existed inside the medium-sized cabin was labeled, 'ACCELERATOR', 'BRAKE', 'STEERING HANDLES', and 'WINDSHIELD WIPERS'.

Jess laughed, "And from that you can fly an Orbital Jumpship? I don't know if I should be terrified or impressed!"

Lilli laughed again, "Oh, sis, if I hotwired a ship, it most certainly won't be yours or your friends'."

Then the ship's GPS beeped, signaling to the sisters that they have arrived at the Cosmodrome. The Old Russian Cosmodrome was a relic of the Golden Age, a monument to the New Russian Space Program founded during the Golden Age, after their last dictator's rule. The now-retired buildings varied in size, but had a similar rectangular design that would've laughed at the old United States 'cookie-cutter suburbs'. The Cosmodrome functioned as both an airport and (at the last minute) a spaceport, housing decaying aircrafts and rocket ships alike. The only things alive inhabiting the Cosmodrome were the weather, plant life, and the Fallen.

Lilli landed the ship in the large yard before the giant wall separating the Cosmodrome from the rest of the world. She and Jess hopped out of the ship and ran through the large doorway in the giant wall, leading to a massive rusted room inside the wall, its sole purpose was to deliver air inside the wall from the outside world, cooling all the rooms and supplying oxygen to all the people who lived and worked here, because the Cosmodrome Wall was also a construction line, one of the most efficient of the Golden Age. Any human working for the space agencies of Old Russia, the American Colony, or the Chinese Confederation were allowed to deposit materials fit for the Colony Ships or their components into a slot into the wall (sometimes with a crane for bigger pieces), the machinery inside the wall would then assemble the raw materials into rockets and building trusses. The Cosmodrome Wall would then spit out the products into the Cosmodrome, ready to be deployed, launched, or used in whatever manner.

Abruptly, the steel plates began clattering, muffled screams echoed in the halls. Lilli was scared, "What was that!?"

Jess gritted her teeth, The startled sisters now walked through a slew of rusted rooms and hallways, rifles raised, eyes darting left and right, aware to the point of paranoia. Lilli occasionally darted her eyes to her left and right, sometimes startled to find a set of 4 staring eyes quickly disappear behind a thin wall. Every time this happened, her nervousness rose. It wasn't until she and Jess reached the outside world that their fears began to diminish for a minute. Outside the Cosmodrome, everything was empty except for the endless rows of rusted and decaying cars and road bridges. Jess lowered her rifle and chuckled, attempting to defuse the rest of her fear; Lilli repeated her sister's actions and intentions. Then, out of nowhere, a high-pitched scream reverberated throughout the air, scaring the sisters out of their comfort, and into cover.

Three 4-armed Captains jumped up from the ground, decorated in blue armor emblazoned with the House of Wolves sigil, their helmets adorned with spikes across the top and chin, similar to horns and tusks. Their underlings were 4-armed with side horns and 2-armed with minimal protection against the environment. These Fallen had pitches ranging from low growls to a Xenomorph's or Visorak's battle cry. Their weapons drawn, primed to fire electric bolts in bursts over short or long ranges, or molten shrapnel at any range. By comparison, Lilli and Jess were outnumbered and outgunned.

The sisters locked and loaded, forming a plan of attack against the advancing Fallen troops, their leaders now cloaked. Jess produced her scout rifle and propped it against the hood of the car, aiming at the 4-armed Vandals and the 2-armed Dregs. Lilli drew her hand cannon and ran across the cars, distracting the Fallen's fire from Jess while blindly firing back at the assailants. Half of the Dregs and a quarter of the Vandals dropped dead from headshots and mortal wounds, while another half were battered beyond pain.

Lilli continued to dash across the cars until something grabbed her by the neck and slammed her into the ground. The thing uncloaked itself as a Captain, one of the three Silent Fangs, and spat at Lilli in its only tongue. The Hunter retaliated with a wheezy, "Up yours too, Thrallscum!" Then she instantly drew her knife and repeatedly stabbed the Captain in the neck. The Fang lost its grip on Lilli's neck and reached for its own, but the Hunter was quicker, circling around the Captain and stabbed it the back of the neck. The Fang began to choke on Earth's atmosphere as it collapsed to its death.

Jess sighted 4 more Vandals and took them down. Another Silent Fang snuck up behind her and punched her on the left side of her jaw, landing her on the ripped pavement. Jess opened her eyes and shot at the hovering Fang in the eye. The Captain recoiled from this, then drew all 4 of its shock blades and stabbed her in the chest.

The world fell silent. Lilli screamed in terror, "NOOOOOOO!!!!!!" She ran over to Jess's body and wept. The Wolves howled and laughed in victory. Anger began to flood Lilli's veins, rage pulsed across her muscles, revenge cloaked her skin from the inside out as she drew her knife and began to slice her way through the Fallen, mutilating the Silent Fang that killed her sister.

Before she could lay her hands on another Vandal, the last Silent Fang grabbed her and threw her halfway across the mess of cars. A Dreg began to rush toward her, but the Fang grabbed its subordinate by the collar and scolded it. The Fallen then left for the Cosmodrome Wall's entrance, leaving Lilli all alone to tend to her wounds.

The recruit cried as she laid her back against the car, sobbing in emotional and physical pain. Her tears created a small stream from her face, down her shoulders, and onto the ground, filling the cracks in the pavement. "Jess...I'm so so sorry..."

Then a small white orb appeared in front of her. The orb had 8 tetrahedrons closely orbiting the central eye, the 4 front ones going clockwise and the 4 back ones going counterclockwise. The tops and inside vertices of the tetrahedrons were cut so that the points weren't sharp and that the diamond eye could see its surroundings. The orb announced, "Where's the deceased?"

Lilli looked up at the orb and asked, "what?"

The orb spoke again, "Where is the deceased?"

Lilli pointed to Jess, laying face up, blood still pouring from her wounds. The orb floated over to Jess's corpse and extended its tetrahedrons, forming a large blue ball of energy around the center. The orb brought itself closer to the wounds and said to Lilli, "You might want to close your eyes," then closed the blue ball with the tetrahedrons within a fraction of a second, and emitted a brilliant light.

When Lilli opened her eyes, Jess was beginning to stand again, stretching every limb in her body. The Hunter immediately ran over to her sister, "Jess! I'm so glad to see you alive!"

Jess gave Lilli a blank stare, "Wait, who are you?"

"Who am I?" Lilli playfully scoffed, "I'm your sister. Don't you remember?"

Jess gave another blank stare, "I have a sister?"

Lilli's playful expression turned morbid, "Do you know you are?"

Jess looked down at herself for a while, then said, "...no?..."

Lilli's mouth dropped, she now realized why most of the Guardians she met were cold or heartless.

Because that's what they literally were: heartless soldiers.


	5. Stories of the Past

Lilliana was stupefied, her sister had forgotten all about her life and the people around her. The orb that resurrected Jess explained, "She doesn't remember anything from her past life. I'm sorry."

Lilli cried again, but not as much as before, then she asked the floating orb, "What are you?"

The orb was taken aback, shocked that someone who had lived and trained in the City had never seen one of its kind floating over the shoulder of a Guardian. "I am a Ghost, made to resurrect brave warriors from the dead to fight for the Last Safe City." Its voice was very analytical and robotic. "Your sister has trained for this, the day she becomes a Warlock."

"Trained for this!?" Lilli shouted, now standing up, "My sister was training to be killed!?"

"Yes, killed as a soldier in battle."

"For what purpose!?"

The Ghost nodded to Jess, his point translucent. "To rise as a powerful and immortal Guardian and to serve the City."

Lilli gritted her teeth, then reset herself. _The Academy told me this would happen,_ she told herself, _My sister is now a ghoul._ She straightened herself, then nodded, "Alright, she's immortal and destined to serve the City. Now what? Skolas is still out there, assimilating all of the Houses-"

The Ghost scoffed, "Skolas. Typical Hunter."

"HEY!"

"We have more pressing issues in the City! The Concordat's absence in the Consensus has created instability, the Hive are tearing up old Guardian outposts on Luna, and the number of incoming Guardians are dwindling. Speaker Hedge is getting desperate ever since..." the Ghost trailed off.

Now Lilli was curious, "Since?"

The Ghost looked down, "It's...not something that we talk about."

"A failed mission?"

"Something like that," then the Ghost looked up, "and there were more missions like it. Smaller ones, sometimes a battle or two, but it all ended in failure. But that's not important right now!"

Jess walked to her new Ghost and asked, "So, what is?"

"Getting you back to the City," he answered.

"No!" Lilli shouted, "We had a mission!"

"And that mission will get you in trouble!"

"If I may?" Jess voiced, "Since I'm a Guardian now, I may be of better assistance outside the City walls."

"Doing what?" accused the Ghost, "Reading books? Writing them?"

"Studying and deciphering the enemy."

The Ghost let out an aggravated sigh, "fine. But we're going back to the City first."

* * *

Two barons from the House of Kings waited impatiently at either side of the room. "When will he get here?" asked one.

"He said he'll be here in a few terra-minutes," said the other.

"That was hours ago!"

"I know, but we have to be patient."

Then the doors on the far side of the room flew open, and in came Skolas and two of his Servitors. "My apologies for being so late. The Ketch was experiencing some mechanical problems." This was a lie, of course, but the point was that Skolas wanted to prove to the Kings that he was in charge from here on out.

The barons silently scoffed and said, "So, what business do you have that's not worth killing us over?"

"Killing you? When there are bigger fish to fry?" Skolas tsked, "No no no, I don't want to kill you," he brought himself closer to one of the barons, "I want to work with you."

The baron asked, "How? The dead soldiers are continuing to attack us and the Devils, and the Hive are starting their takeover of the Skywatch! The last thing we need is to be run out of our only home by our own kin!"

"No, that is not my goal." Skolas then grinned reassuringly, "Do you remember the Time Before? When Chelchis kept all of us safe under the watchful eye of the Great Machine?" He waited for a response, but after hearing silence, he said, "My grandfather's grandmother remembered, and from her early years, a story formed and was passed down in my family, a story that I shared with the House of Wolves."

"And what story would that be?" asked the other baron.

Skolas grinned, "It's a story about our prosperous past, and how we can make it our future."

The Dregs eagerly crawled out of their holes and sat around Skolas, as if they were listening to a story told to them by their grandparent. The Vandals from House of Kings crossed their 4 arms, scowling at the Wolf Kell, but still interested in what he had to say. The Captains and the three Archons waved him off and retreated into another room, at least they tried to before Skolas said, "Hey! You might want to listen to this, too!" The Elders scoffed, but took a few seats anyway, sitting with the barons. Then Skolas began his story, describing their homeworld, the purple ether sky, the agricultural and industrial revolutions that took place, advancing faster and farther than Earth ever could, all thanks to a giant orb in the sky that appeared 100 years before. Then, at the height of their Golden Age, disaster struck.

First came the Whirlwind, a massive black cloud that descended upon the planet, eclipsing it until the sun was no more. Then came the fleets of Hive ships, bombarding the surface with dark magic, and feeding most of the citizens to the Thrall hordes. Descending from the 3 main ships were 3 giants, one decorated in the bones of her enemies, another was a master of the most arcane of magical arts, and the central one wore a crown and cape as a king, all 3 were bone and marrow-like in their appearance. Chelchis, the Kell of Stone and leader of his race met the three giants with his sword and shield in hand, but was taken down quickly. His goal was not to kill his opponents, but to distract them while his people escaped. He had hoped that the Great Machine would help him, but when he fell to the ground, the Kell stared at the place where it used to be, only to ask, "Where is the Great Machine? WHERE IS THE GREAT MACHINE!?" just before he was killed.

The ships tried to outrun the Whirlwind, but only 4 managed to escape in one piece. These 4 ships were called Ketches, and their Houses later became known as Kings, Devils, Winter, and Wolves.

"But," said Skolas as he was wrapping up, "the old House of Rain gave one last prophecy before they died away, a prophecy that my great-great-grandmother held onto for the rest of her life, and it's this prophecy that I'll tell you now: 'One more time, the night will fall, and the dregs will crawl. One more time, the Darkness rises, putting the world in crisis. Then he shall rise from the depths, to do away all those who crept. He is named the Kell of Kells, and no more will his people live in cells.'"

The Dregs 'oooh'ed and the Vandals 'ahhh'ed. The Captains scoffed, "Yeah, lovely story and all, except we've waited for the Kell of Kells for a very long time!"

Skolas stood tall and proud, "Then wait no more! I am he, and I have come to deliver you all!"

More 'oooh's and 'ahhh's. The barons said, "Yeah, ok, but there's a catch, right? Like, what do we have to do?"

Skolas grinned some more, "I thought you'd never ask."


	6. Twilight Gap

Lilli and Jess returned to the Tower with Leviathan's ship, making sure that Lilli left it where she found it. What she didn't count on was Leviathan standing right there with 4 other armed Titans, waiting for the sisters to descend from the ship. He announced, "Jess and Lilliana Qu'lene, you are hereby under arrest for theft of a jumpship and assaulting a Titan."

"You can't just arrest Guardians!" shouted Lilli, "We needed to stop the Wolves from assimilating the Devils into their fold!"

"And what has that netted you?" asked a familiar voice. Zavala walked toward the sisters as they were cuffed behind their backs. "More paperwork, and more death." He pointed to Jess as he said this.

Lilli felt betrayed as Jess willfully walked with the officers and as Zavala severed all connections between himself and the mission. _Jaren's wrong, Guardians don't have loyalty or trust, only orders._

_She remembers her days in the academy, initially training with toy guns and training bots, all while the Vanguard watched over her and her peers. She was excited over the results from the training simulation: not only had she passed to the next stages, but she was also going to be a Hunter's protege. When an Initiate advances to Protege, they are usually assigned a mentor, depending on how close they are to a specific class. Lilli was lucky enough to be Jaren Ward's protege, and unlike Cayde, he was all about responsibility. "A Guardian's key tool is their loyalty and trust in others. Remember that, and you will find friends among all classes."_

_Unfortunately, Jaren responded to a distress call from Palamon, the same village that Lilli came from. The call identified a rogue Hunter, cloaked in darkness and wielding a jagged gun, one that reportedly sucked the souls out of the victims. Jaren took his Tex Mechanica hand cannon, an homage to the Old West of the Before, told Lilli that he'll be right back. 3 days went by, and a new group of Palamonian refugees hustled into the City. Lilli stood on top of the gates, on top of the City Walls, but couldn't find Jaren anywhere. She described his appearance to every refugee she could find, one of which was an old man who held something in a handkerchief, something shaped like an old gun. He told her that the "Hunter in Black" got him, and that his body was buried on the road._

_Young Lilli could hardly believe it, and ran back to her old mentor's house to cry. For 3 days, she stared at Jaren's gun, feeling the weight of it, taking it into consideration, crying over his death, and never coming out. It wasn't until the end of the week when she was told by Lieutenant Zavala that Cayde would be her mentor from now on._

As she and Jess were thrown into a prison cell, Lilli began to think about the mess she's in with her sister. Jess looked around the cell, "So, what did we do again?"

Lilli sighed, aggravated that Ghosts can't restore the previous memories of a Ghoul. "You punched Leviathan in the face, hard."

"And that didn't fracture my fist?"

Lilli shrugged, "If it did, you hid the pain well."

Jess grinned, "I'm a badass!"

Lilli grinned with her, "Yeah, you are."

Then there was a commotion, distant, but it still vibrated the ground. Breaking the night sky in the distance was a pillar of fire and smoke, joined by other sudden fires as well. _No! Not just fires! Explosions!_ "We're under attack!" Lilli jumped to her feet, "Let us out! We can fight!"

In the far corner of the room, on the other side of the bars, Leviathan stood against the wall. "Like hell you could," he scoffed, "You couldn't even kill a few Fallen dogs!"

"Yeah, but I left a good mark on your ugly mug," quipped Jess.

"Keeping talking, missy," Leviathan said as he inched closer and closer, "and I'll make sure you get a life sentence."

Jess scowled at the Exo Titan, "You don't dictate the laws around here, only the Speaker can do that!"

The Titan grinned menacingly, "Who else ordered your arrest?"

Lilli gritted her teeth, she could see corruption seething from the Exo, transforming him into a creature of hatred. She swallowed her anger and asked, "Leviathan, do you know who blew up the wall?"

"Don't know, don't care. My job is-"

"Stop thinking about the job!" she snapped, "Think about the people!"

Leviathan laughed, "Ha! That's rich, coming from a Hunter!"

"Ironic, isn't it?" said a new voice. Another Titan walked into the prison, decorated with fur pauldrons and a helmet with two horns. His armor was equally divided into 2 colors, white and orange. No one was sure of his true identity, whether he was a Human, Awoken, or Exo, but what was certain is his deep voice, calm and commanding at the same time.

Leviathan turned to meet the new guest and snarled, "What's ironic, Lord Shaxx!?"

Shaxx laughed, "A Hunter has more spine than a Titan!"

Leviathan growled as he approached Shaxx, "I am braver than any of these lowlifes! I have killed hundreds of perps in the name of the City! I am stronger than these pussies!!"

Lilli almost rushed to the door just so that she could choke the misogynist, but Shaxx simply said, "If you were really strong or brave, you wouldn't have insulted these two Guardians, or me."

Leviathan stared at Lord Shaxx in disbelief, then scoffed, "Whatever, I'll just tell the Speaker that you're all traitors."

Shaxx pointed out the window, exasperated, "Tattling on your fellow Guardians is more important than fighting that!?"

Leviathan stumbled, "W-w-well...I-I-I..."

"Then it's settled!" Shaxx raised his hands in triumph, "Release them!"

The Exo Titan sighed, "fine."

80 miles away in the Twilight Gap district, Zavala, Cayde, and Ikora were busily fighting off Fallen, some attacking with the brutality of the Devils, others with the skill of the Winter, and a few with the Kings' swiftness, but all of them were branded with the Wolves' insignia. Zavala sent a massive shockwave to the North with a Fist of Havoc, driving back an approaching squad of Vandals. Ikora launched a Nova Bomb to the West, obliterating 5 Captains and 15 Dregs at once. Cayde was more meticulous with his Golden Gun shots, vaporizing 3 Captains closing in from the East. However, their valiant efforts were not enough to prevent them from being boxed in from the South. As the City continued to burn, the Fallen kept running around in the streets, slaughtering unlucky civilians caught in the open. A few would be saved per block, thanks to the nearby Guardians, but the others weren't so lucky.

Lilli, Jess, Shaxx, and Leviathan rushed to the Vanguard's aid, tearing through the Fallen as they advanced. Once they arrived, the 7 Guardians held the circle. Rabid Wolves crawled on the walls, the fanatical Devils led from the ground, while Winter and Kings sniped and brought up the back. The Titan Vanguard groaned, "There's too many of them! We can't save the civilians!"

"And we're surrounded!" Ikora feebly shouted, "There's no way out!"

Shaxx looked back at the way they came, then shouted, "Follow me!" and he charged through a lane of Devils.

Zavala shouted at him, "WHERE ARE YOU GOING!?"

"WE NEED TO FALL BACK! TWILIGHT GAP IS LOST!"

"YOU'RE MAD!"

"BETTER THAN DEAD!" and Lord Shaxx ran back to the safe parts of the City.

Lilli followed him, saying to the others, "He's right! We need to go!"

"NO!" Zavala angrily commanded, "WE CAN HOLD THEM OFF! WE CAN-!"

"WE CAN'T, ZAVALA!" shouted the Warlock Vanguard, "They've overrun this place!"

"IKORA! OUR DUTY IS TO THE CITY!"

"Yeah!" said Cayde, "If we leave here, we'd be saving the rest of the City!"

Zavala snorted, "FINE! IT'S DIFFICULT TO ARGUE WITH A HUNTER!" and he ran through the open path.

"I'm difficult!?" Cayde asked, exasperated, "I'm more difficult than a Titan!?" The Hunter Vanguard ran after Zavala, leaving the burning scene behind.

Ikora mused, "Men and their egos," and carried up the rear, firing back at any chasing Fallen.

Once they made it past the Twilight Gap, Shaxx shouted, "NOW!" to a thousand or so robotic frames, all armed to the teeth and programmed to kill any Fallen within a 1000 mile radius with lethal accuracy. The Winter and Devils houses kept advancing, almost throwing themselves into the line of fire. The Kings and Wolves sat on the rooftops, trying to snipe at the frames, but failing nonetheless. Lilli and Cayde took to the roofs, combating the snipers from afar. Shaxx shouted, "ADVANCE!" and the frames advanced, pushing the Fallen out of the City. The Dregs screamed in terror, Vandals scrambled away from the scene, Captains barking at their subordinates to stand their ground, while they themselves ran like cowards. Victory belonged to the Guardians once more, but there would be no pleasurable feast or song in the Tower tonight. Some Guardians will weep for dead friends and lost family, citizens and recruits alike. Ghouls will stare into their beer mugs, alone at the bar without their close friends and partners.

But worst of all, Speaker Hedge walked up to the edge of the Twilight Gap district, cupped his hands around his mouth, and shouted into the dead streets. As a ghoul himself, he could amplify his voice just by channeling his Light into his vocal chords. "Twilight Gap," he called out, "On this day, you paid a heavy price: to be the sacrificial shield, you gave your lives to protect the City, and for that we honor you."

Lilli grimaced, _He's turned this into a promotional gig!_

"But I tell you this: you have not died in vain. We, the citizens and Guardians of the Last Safe City on Earth, will not stop until your blood has been vindicated, and the one responsible for this atrocity, Skolas, is brought to justice and killed!"


	7. Weapons of War

Mara Sov stared at the hall from her throne, her thoughts racing and her heart pumping, Hedge makes me cringe. First, he denies me my kin, now he wants to send the Guardians to Venus after the City is attacked? Hypocrite! He cares for no one but himself! "Petra!" she cried out, "Come here!"

Petra Venj walked to the Awoken Throne, almost tired from her day's work, running back and forth between the Queen and her brother. "Yes, my Queen?" She tried her best to be polite, even when she was exhausted.

"I want you to go to the Tower as my emissary. Put up bounties for the Wolves' heads, and offer up a sidearm for the one who captures Skolas."

"It will be an honor, your majesty."

* * *

_3 weeks later_

Lilli, Jess, and Leviathan were running around the open alcove frantically. Their current mission was to find and silence the Wolves' Archon Priest, Aksor.

Like the rest of the House of Wolves, Aksor was incarcerated in the Prison of Elders after the Cybele Uprising. Once the prime Archon for the Wolves, he was reduced to be a lowly slave at the mercy of the Queen. Due to his close relations as her personal janitor, Aksor was the one who signaled the start of the Wolves' bloody revolution, but had to stay behind and fight the Awoken to save his house from permanent servitude. As the last to leave, he suffered from major battle wounds, some left cracks in his armor, others caused him to bleed gaseous ether, so he needed a life support tank large enough for him to rest and heal in, and a cybernetic armor support system to feed ether directly into his veins.

Lilli jumped to the side, avoiding the molten shrapnel just in time. Aksor fired another round of shrapnel at the Hunter, singeing her cloak and armor. "OW OW OW!" she quietly screamed, "shrapnel launchers are the worst!" Jess threw another Vortex Grenade at Aksor, hoping to decouple his cybernetics from his armor, but to no avail. Aksor retaliated with 2 shrapnel rounds into the Warlock, only killing her for a second before Lilli came to revive her. Lilli fired 3 bullets into Aksor, one of which successfully punctured an ether tube. The Archon staggered for 2 seconds, then returned fire at the Hunter, missing his target. Lilli found cover and ordered her teammates, "Take out the tubes! They're its weak point!"

"Hey!" barked Leviathan, "I'm the one giving orders here!" After a pause, he said, "AIM FOR THE TUBES!"

Lilli rolled her eyes, oh gee! I wonder who gave you that idea! She aimed at another ether tube, puncturing it in one shot. Aksor counted on this, and took a step back to balance himself quickly. He then shot a round into the Hunter, but she was too quick. Aksor growled in frustration, especially after Leviathan shot a tube in the back of Aksor's neck. The Archon tossed the shrapnel launcher at the Exo Titan, crushing him, then drew 4 electric swords from their scabbards and lunged at Leviathan. The Titan threw the launcher at the Archon, but Aksor shredded it and the Titan with lethal speed. Jess took his Ghost and rezzed him in a large cave above the ground. Aksor jumped into the cave, only to be stopped by Leviathan and his strength, swords clenched in each other's fists, playing a deadly game of tug-of-war. Aksor charged his swords, surging electricity into the Exo, hoping to electrocute him permanently. Instead, Leviathan grew stronger, gripping the blades tighter, until he shattered one and stole another, flinging it into the air. Lilli caught the sword, and charged at the Archon with all her might, lunging to strike his head, only to be blocked by the other two swords. Lilli ducked under the Archon's slash attack, swinging her sword diagonally, missing the body, but severing the lower arm. Aksor howled in pain, then charged in rage. Lilli jumped and sliced the opposite upper arm, disarming another one of Aksor's swords. Leviathan snatched it and swung at Aksor, only to have the blade caught in the lower fist, crushed just like the other blade. This gave Jess enough time to hurl a Nova Bomb at the back of the Archon Priest, crippling its life support systems. Aksor growled in rage one more time and hurled himself at the Warlock, before Lilli came up from behind and chopped his head off with his own sword. The Archon fell to the ground, stomach first, just mere inches away from Jess.

Lilli tossed her sword aside, Leviathan remarked, "It was better off in the Prison of Elders. Let's go home."

"Not so fast!" said a new voice on the comms, "You need to deal with the Wolves in the Vault of Glass."

"And just who are you!?" barked Leviathan.

"I am Petra Venj, the Queen's emissary to the Tower."

"Say no more, we don't want anything to do with the Reef or the Awoken!"

Lilli muttered under her breath, "Then why are you working with us, tin skull?"

"It doesn't matter anymore!" exclaimed Petra, "We have a common enemy, the House of Wolves. They've taken over the other Fallen houses and are planning to steal your Traveler and murder not just our people, but yours too."

"That's why we're going to kill Skolas, alone!" declared the Titan.

Petra sighed, "Be that as it may, you will fail without my help."

"Oh yeah? I'll find Skolas, and I will bring his head to both you and then the Speaker!" Leviathan turned off his comms and stormed off.

Lilli and Jess stood alone in the alcove, still wondering what to do next. Then Jess asked, "So, Petra? What's our next move?"

"The Vault of Glass, Skolas is reportedly experimenting with Vex tech in there, but for what purpose, we do not know."

"So, our job is to go in and find that out?"

"Yes."

"Then what are we waiting for?" asked the Warlock.

Lilli began to walk, just as her mind began to race. Then, she stood in shock. She didn't expect much from Leviathan, always following the Speaker's orders without batting an eye, but Jess was a different story. Ever since her sister was resurrected by her Ghost, the only things that excited her were death and duty, whereas before she cared about knowledge and protecting her family. Has she changed so much that she only sees murder as a duty? Or is the world resting on darker shoulders? She pushed that thought aside and returned to the matter at hand, heading to the Vault of Glass.

The outside of the Vault was divided into two levels, an upside down 'U' that bordered the door to the Vault above the ground, and the ground itself, littered with Vex stone pillars, horizontal and vertical. Warlocks, like Osiris, often argued whether or not the pillars were a part of some Pantheon outside the Vault, for religious, scientific, or aesthetic reasons. Others, like Pujari, argued that they were placed there deliberately, with the intention of misleading Osirians down that path. Ikora, however, didn't care for the "Pantheon", at least not as much as the Vault itself, and what lies inside.

Lilli and Jess raced to the front, only to find it forced open by the Wolves. Lilli wore shock on her face. Jess asked, "What's wrong?"

"That," said Lilli, now pointing to the door, "should not be possible! The Vex have complicated locks on most of their complex structures!"

Jess raised an eyebrow, "And you know this how?"

"Ikora's classes on enemy designs. The Vex portions are based mostly on Osiris's theories, but none have been proven so far."

Jess kept her eyebrow raised, confused by Lilli's explanation, but shrugged it off and dashed inside the Vault, her sister behind her.

Once they reached the Templar's Well, Lilli spotted 6 glowing blocks detained inside small containers made out of salvaged glass and metal, despite looking more advanced than typical scrap. These cells began to drain the energy out of the blocks, rendering them inert, their moving parts now constricted inside of cubes, turning from yellow to grey in a matter of minutes. A few Dregs pulled a short rod out of a cylinder hooked up vertically to the side of the cell; the glowing rod was handed over to some other Dregs, who placed the rods inside a storage tank and handed their workmates empty rods to be loaded. The grey cubes were removed from the cells and placed inside a separate tank, then the process repeated itself again.

Lilli was shocked, "By the Traveler, they're stockpiling Vex tech!"

Jess wore a confused look, "So why aren't the Vex fighting back?"

The Hunter looked down at a severed Vex Goblin, "I think they did, sis."

Jess gave her another confused expression, then looked down at the Goblin, "Huh. I see what you mean."

Petra asked, "What could they be using Vex tech for?"

"Well the metal could be melted down into ammunition and other materials, but the glowing rods are a mystery."

Then there was another set of blocks, but instead of glowing yellow, they glowed bright red. "Uh oh," exclaimed Lilli.

"What's wrong?" asked the emissary.

"The Vex tech that the Wolves are harvesting, they turned to red."

"WHAT!? That can't be good! Get down there and stop the Wolves! Now!!"

The sisters jumped down to Well's main platform and began attacking the Dregs. The Wolves fired back, but were no match for the Guardians. Lilli and Jess turned their attention to the cells, blowing up each and every one. Then they heard a few 'CLINK's rolling at their feet. They looked down, and were blown away by electrical explosives.

Dazed and blinded for a few seconds, they heard a deep Fallen voice barking orders. Lilli opened her eyes to find Skolas choking her sister. "Pity," he said, "And just when I thought Humanity and Awoken had learned common sense."

Jess croaked, "You murdered innocent people! You attacked us!"

"Because all you ever understand is violence," growled the Kell, "You wreck my house, murder my people, and blow my stuff!? This is why I need to break free, why I need to take the Great Machine back, and why you lot need to die!" He snapped Jess's neck and tossed her aside, then barked to his soldiers in his native tongue, "Take everything up to the Citadel! It's time to take back our lives!"


	8. Spire of Time

As soon as Skolas left the Templar's Well, Lilli grabbed Jess's Ghost, climbed up to the entrance of the Vault, and rezzed her sister. Jess asked, "What happened!? Where's Skolas!?"

"The Citadel," answered her sister, "Skolas is heading for the Vex Citadel! For what purpose, I do not know."

"He's going to travel back in time!" Petra exclaimed, "Skolas is going to use the Vex energy at the Citadel to travel back in time!"

"To gain more supporters?"

"No! To prevent the Whirlwind from approaching his homeworld! If he succeeds, no one in the Sol system will exist past Earth's Last War!"

Lilli and Jess said in unison, "We need to go! Now!"

"Good luck, Guardians!"

The sisters raced through the Venus landscape until they reached the base of the Citadel, a massive spire climbing up to the acidic sky and beyond, flowing with Vex temporal energy. Jess wasted no time in grabbing her sister's arm and leading her to a Vex elevator shaft, causing them to ascend to the top. On their way up, no one stood to stop the Guardians, because all of the Wolves were gathered at the top, surrounding Skolas. As the sisters came to the top floor, the Kell gave his speech in his language, "Too long have we suffered from the oppression of the Awoken, too long have we been brutally murdered by the Hive, Vex, Cabal, and even The Last City and its zombies! But I tell you that on this day, none of that will matter anymore! On this day, the House of Wolves shall save the rest of the Eliksni from damnation! The Great Whirlwind which has plagued our lives will be erased from time itself! On this day, we will get our home back!" The crowd cheered as the circular Vex portals around them powered up, the Captains inserting the glowing rods into the portals.

Lilli and Jess rushed into the scene, weapons locked and loaded. "That's far enough, Skolas!"

The Kell turned to look at the Guardians, "How!? I want what everyone else has: A home!"

"Then just ask!"

"You think I haven't tried that!? My predecessor came to your City first, pleading at the gates, begging for the sweet pleasures of having a stable home, a stable job, a stable life! And what did you do!? You opened the gates, but not to welcome us! You opened the gates to march your dead soldiers out, assault weapons in hand, and gunned us down like vermin!"

Lilli looked shocked, "What?"

"You gunned us down, leaving most of the survivors to run into the hills, into the forests, but even then we weren't safe! The fast zombies camouflaged in with the wilderness, the armored brutes ran and fired toward us, and the magic users waited on the other side for us, hurling purple balls of death at the masses! Virixas barely escaped with his life, as did 3 of his most trusted barons." Skolas looked down for a while, "Even at Cybele, we were brutally murdered. And then to add insult to injury, your Awoken Queen enslaved us!"

Jess stood up, "Well, maybe you ought to learn to respect us first!"

"We tried! Maybe, if you're so full of hatred for us, then why does your kind still exist!?"

Jess tackled the Kell in rage, but Skolas was too quick and tossed her aside. Lilli was busy dodging bullets and firing at Dregs to help the Warlock. Skolas drew his scorch cannon and aimed at Jess's head. Lilli leaped into action, diverting the cannon's away from Jess and into a gate, melting it completely. Skolas growled and smacked the Hunter aside. Jess hurled a Nova Bomb at the Kell, but Skolas moved out of the way and it instead hit an exposed glowing rod. The explosion almost tore the platform off the Citadel. Skolas screamed, "DO IT!" to his captains, and they all slammed the remaining rods into the gates, causing all of them to activate at once and open a gigantic time portal above them. "YOU'RE TOO LATE!" he screamed, "When the portal descends, the Eliksni will have their home back! All that you see will become a myth!"

"Not if we have something to say about it!" bellowed Lilli, and she charged at Skolas with her blade and gun. Skolas fired his cannon, Lilli dodged the shot and it hit another rod, rupturing the gate and the platform away from the Citadel. The portal dissipated and the three combatants also fell with the platform.

Skolas growled in agony, "YOU RUINED EVERYTHING!!! BUT IF I CAN'T HAVE A HOME, THEN NOBODY CAN!" He shoved Jess off the edge, leaving only Lilli and himself on the platform. Lilli charged with her knife, dodging each of the cannon shots and firing bullets at the Kell, hoping to cause some damage. When she got in close, she stabbed one of his arms with the knife, puncturing a joint. The Kell roared in pain and retaliated with another punch to the Hunter's stomach. Lilli hissed as she struggled to get back up. The platform passed through the last cloud layer, the ground 1200 feet below them. Lilli dashed toward her opponent at an incredible speed, knife in hand and proceeded to cut Skolas's upper left arm off. This time, he hid his pain, channeling it into a 3-armed melee attack, only for the Hunter to jump, circle round his head, and cut off the other upper arm, dropping his scorch cannon. He screamed in anguish, only to be silenced by the sudden impact of his head meeting the ground. Lilli, however, jumped away from the platform, then tucked and rolled into her fall, minimizing the damage done to her. As for Jess, she simply glided to safety.

Lilli stood from the impact, attempting to walk towards the crash. Jess did the same, but at a more stable pace. Skolas turned himself over, his giant mask now fractured and his armor was torn to shreds. "You..." he panted, "can...not...stop...me. The Wolves...will make...history...right again!" Then there was a loud noise breaking through the horizon, starship engines whirring, coming closer to the surface. The Awoken have arrived. "NO!" bellowed the Kell, "MY HOUSE WILL NOT BE ENSLAVED AGAIN!"

"THEN THEY SHALL DIE!" Mara Sov's voice boomed and echoed across the atmosphere, as did the sounds of Skiffs exploding and the Wolves' Ketch falling. Only 7 Skiffs fled the scene, the last 7 ships in the Wolves' fleet.

Skolas howled in fury and despair, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!"

Jess took this opportunity to bind Skolas's remaining arms behind his back and brought him to his knees. "Skolas, Dreg of Dregs, you are under arrest! You have the right to remain silent, and you will be held accountable for your actions!" She turned her attention to the Queen and shouted, "Your majesty! We have your prize!"

"Excellent!" Mara's voice echoed, "Bring him to me." A teleportation beam surrounded the Dreg of Dregs, transporting him to Mara's ship, then she said, "Uldren, bring me the Ungues Lupi. I have plans for it."

"Yes, your majesty." The Ketch was lifted up by 25 scout ships and brought to the Reef, following the Queen's flagship.

Lilli and Jess looked up and said, "Well, our work here is done."

* * *

25 minutes later

Skolas was now chained to the floor in his original room in the Prison of Elders. He remembered how he broke out, a mysterious figure stood on the other side of the cell and pointed to the opposite wall. The wall caved in and Skolas was free. The figure, who looked like a three-dimensional shadow leaking with Darkness, said in an empty and quiet voice, "The Nine are waiting at your downfall. Go there now."

Skolas asked, "Why should I listen to you?"

"Because if you do, you can set your people free," and the figure disappeared.

Skolas looked at the wall one more time, "Freedom comes for us all, and I am the one to insure it."

That felt like a lifetime ago, now that Skolas was bound in chains from head to toe. I tried to free them all from the oppression of the City and the Queen. Now, they'll be hunted down again...

At that moment the cell door opened, letting in Queen Mara Sov. "Skolas, you disappoint me."

"I disappointed you?" Skolas raised his voice, "I wanted Freedom! I wanted Liberty! I wanted what everyone else has: a life!"

"And you did, until you murdered my people!"

"You Awoken kept beating us up and torturing us every day! We were enslaved to you, while you sat on your high throne and smacked us while we tried to breathe! I had to act! I had to get our home back! For the Eliksni!"

Mara laughed, "Oh, Skolas. Did you think that I wouldn't know what your ultimate plan was?"

Then in came a masked Vandal with 2 prosthetic arms and 1 prosthetic leg, armed with only a staff and a sigil with 4 circles and 3 horizontal lines stretching from the left circle to the right. Skolas recognized that sigil well, _Variks!? From the House of Judgement!? But how!?_

The Vandal said, "Now, Skolas. You will tell me everything you know about this 'shadowy figure.'"


	9. Epilogue

Lilli sat at the bar, rubbing her finger around the rim of her beer glass. Jess asked, "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." Lilli tried to explain, "I feel sorry for Skolas."

"Why?"

"He was just like us. A refugee looking for a home, and the City turned him away."

"So?"

"So, who are we to judge who gets admitted or not? Who are we to be selective about which refugees get help?"

Jess pondered, then said, "Whatever. I'm heading out. See you later, sis."

"See ya." Lilli finally drank her beer, her only glass of the night, _I will not let another one band of refugees be turned away or killed simply because they are outside the City. It is my duty as a Hunter to not just stalk the wilderness, but to assist and escort refugees into the Last Safe City on Earth. This is my oath, and I shall not abandon it in death._

* * *

5 years later

A lone Ghost scoured the Cosmodrome, looking for a dead body. _I need to find a Guardian! I have been looking for 7 years now, and not one body has been deemed as 'A potential Guardian'!_ The Ghost looked under rusty cars, signs, on the Cosmodrome wall, and so far hasn't found one potential Guardian. _Keep scanning, I can't give up now._ Then he stumbled upon a pile of bones. The bones looked like a late adolescent's disassembled skeleton, or that of an early adult's. Either way, it came across as 'POTENTIAL FOUND' to The Ghost. _Is it possible? But these bones are old! Who knows if I can pull any genetic material from them!_ Nevertheless, he did try, and strangely enough, he succeeded. _Huh! You're old! Really old!_ _Can you be resurrected?_ The Ghost extended himself into a pulsing blue orb. Hold it! Hold it!! Then he said, "There you are." A brilliant flash of light spanned across the Cosmodrome, the skeleton began to grow ligaments, cartilage, tendons, muscles, organs, and skin to cover it all. The Ghost also fashioned some thin clothes to go over the new Guardian. And then, the Guardian began to wake up. "Guardian?" asked the Ghost, "Guardian? Eyes up, Guardian!"


End file.
